The Hangover Part Three is in cinemas soon, with the Wolf Pack returning to Las Vegas for more neon-lit mayhem. After they wrecked the place, stole Mike Tyson's tiger, go involved with an Asian Triad gang, got married to a stripper and abandoned their mate on the roof of a hotel, you'd think they'd know better than to go back there. But we are happy they've returned to the City Of Sin, and to celebrate the movie's forthcoming release, we're taking a look back over our five favourite movies set in and around Las Vegas.
CASINO (1995)
Yes, it is Martin Scorsese basically just doing Goodfellas again, but this time set against the backdrop of Las Vegas. Though Goodfellas is amazing, so why is that a bad thing? Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci team up again - this time joined by a career best from Sharon Stone - as two best friends and mobster heavies who supply the seedy underbelly to the already seedy gambling empire.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)
Adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's seminal novel by cinematic genius Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys, Brazil), Fear and Loathing finds Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro heading towards Vegas in search of "the American Dream". It would appear that this dream involves an awful lot of alcohol and mind-altering drugs, though.
LEAVING LAS VEGAS (1995)
As glitzy as the Vegas Strip can appear, there is a downside to be found too, and this depressing tale of a Hollywood screenwriter (Nicolas Cage) certainly shows that downside. Arriving in Vegas to drink himself to death after realising his alcoholism has ruined everything good in his life, he strikes up a friendship with a prostitute (Elisabeth Shue) who agrees to accompany him but not interfere in his last few days alive. Bring tissues for all of the sads.
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001)
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and eight other guys team up to take down three casinos at the same time, all of which are owned by bad guy Andy Garcia, who's currently dating Clooney's ex Julia Roberts. Cool does not even begin to properly describe this cucumber of a film, which also left Vegas for its sequel, but returned for Part 3, just like The Hangover!
SHOWGIRLS (1995)
Yes, it's awful, but it's a special kind of awful. The kind of awful that demands repeat viewings to properly understand its awfulness, the kind of awful that gets a full-fledged cult following. The story of a Vegas stripper who longs to become a big name show-star, there are a lot of boobs, bitches and bad acting. And that's why we love it so much.
SPECIAL MENTION: CON AIR (1997)
Not set in Vegas per say, but the film does reach its climax when the prisoner-carrying plane finally crash lands on the Strip. BOOM!
